THE potential impact of Brexit on higher education ranges from “bad, to awful, to catastrophic”, a leading official has warned.

Professor Sir Timothy O’Shea, principal of Edinburgh University, said that however the outcome of leaving the European Union was analysed “things get worse”.

The comments came as he was giving evidence to MPs on Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee which is examining the impact of Brexit on key industries.

Read more: Nicola Sturgeon - I won't allow Scotland to be driven over a hard Brexit cliff edge

Sir Timothy told them a third of Edinburgh University’s research output is carried out in collaboration with academics from other EU countries, while a quarter of research staff are from other parts of the EU, totalling almost 5,000 workers.

And he urged Prime Minister Theresa May to consider striking a “special deal” for universities as has been suggested for the financial sector in London and the car industry.

He said: “The big research problems, whether it is the environment, or dementia, or the hunt for the Higgs boson, these are not done at the level of Scotland, or the UK, or for that matter Europe, these are deeply international.

“There need to be mechanisms for a bespoke relationship between either the UK or Scotland and the EU, that is absolutely vital.”

With an exit deal not yet negotiated between the UK and the remainder of the EU, and with a lack of detail about what any future arrangements could look like, Sir Timothy said it was not clear what the future would look like.

But, he said, however it was assessed “things get worse” with the crucial questions focusing on how much access to EU funding and support would be affected.

Read more: Nicola Sturgeon - I won't allow Scotland to be driven over a hard Brexit cliff edge

He added: “There is a large amount of uncertainty and when you run different models it ranges from bad, to awful, to catastrophic.

“Yesterday, the Prime Minister said helpfully that perhaps a special relationship might be necessary for workers in the City, for the car industry.

“But God help me if the City and the car industry deserve a special deal, then the universities... they are more dependent on the mobility of highly skilled labour than any other sector.”

Christopher Chope, Conservative MP for Christchurch, told the university principal: “It seems to me from your evidence so far you are having real difficulty coming to terms with the outcome of the referendum.”

Sir Timothy responded: “It would be deceitful of me to pretend that Brexit is not a problem, the issue is what the shape and size of the problem is has not been properly defined for us yet.”

Meanwhile, Norman Provan, associate director for the Royal College of Nursing Scotland, raised concerns about the impact Brexit could have on the health service workforce.

He told the committee there were 33,000 registered nurses from Europe working in the UK, adding: “If we didn’t have access to those nationals, if they couldn’t stay within the UK, that would create a significant difficulty in a workforce that already is pushed, vacancy rates for the NHS in Scotland are going up.”

Read more: Nicola Sturgeon - I won't allow Scotland to be driven over a hard Brexit cliff edge

However, Bertie Armstrong of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, said leaving the EU was “potentially a big opportunity” for the UK’s fishing industry.

He said: “Since the vote, which frankly was as big a surprise to us as the rest of the nation, it suddenly opened a door for us.

“What we have seen since that day is a growing consensus, a growing understanding by government and the general public that this is potentially a big opportunity for the fishing industry of the UK.”

Mr Chope told the fisheries leader: “Your clear and positive vision is going to be music to the ears to many people who have been campaigning for a long time to leave the European Union.”

Mr Armstrong went on to warn politicians and others against having an “over focus on the challenge” caused by Brexit without looking at the positives.

He said: “We are concerned about the general atmosphere of concentrating so hard on the challenges and the changes that Brexit will bring, that you end up under the table in the foetus position with your thumb in your mouth.”

He added: “We don’t want the strength of negotiation of both the Scottish Government and the UK Government acting together to be in any way damaged.

“What we could be is a world leader in sustainable seas and that catch is so big and so much comes out of it it is an opportunity.”